Still slowly chugging through these words of 2015. But it’s helping remind me of what I wanted to go after this year, and to keep focusing on these things! Hopefully it’s inspiring to others too.

My next goal word of the year is “wholehearted”. I am such a quitter. I stop halfway through books (non-fiction ones anyway), I quit a whole bunch of clubs and activities when I was younger, I never keep up with new hobbies or regimens. This year I want to give my whole heart to things and see them through.

Have you ever seen the movie Limitless? It’s about a deadbeat author who is given a drug that lets him access all of his brain. Suddenly, he can remember his high school science class, facts from the news, etc. I kind of see becoming wholehearted about things like being limitless. Imagine what would happen if I put all my effort into something and finished what I started? I’m excited about the possibilities, even though the work can seem daunting.

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The Bible speaks a lot on the heart.

This one is a classic: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters…” – Colossians 3:23, NIV

And this: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Being wholehearted (aka “making every effort”) is a common theme in the Bible.

“He said to them, ‘Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.'” – Luke 13:24, NIV – Notice how it says to make every effort, as compared to all the people who will “try”. What’s the difference for you between trying and making every effort? It’s a big one for me.

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 2 Peter 1:5-8, NIV

The Bible speaks on giving your heart to God:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” – Deuteronomy 6:5, NIV

“But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.” – 1 Samuel 12:24, NIV

It also talks about making every effort in our relationships. Prioritizing (God, then relationships), helps with wholeheartedness, I believe. It helps me to pick what’s important, since “you can do anything, but not everything” (not scripture, just a quote).

“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” – Romans 14:19, NIV

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” – Ephesians 4:2-3, NIV

To continue my series on my inspiring words of 2015, we now move on the the word “confident”.

If there’s any one thing that has been the biggest struggle of my life, it would have to be insecurity. I am constantly questioning myself, worrying about how I appear to others, and fearing my imperfections. I regret that I’ve wasted so much time in my life being concerned about these things.

So this year, I am going to try to tackle it (again)! I’ve heard it said that confidence does not come from being particularly amazing in and of yourself, but instead knowing who is on your side. Really at the end of the day, I know that if God is on my side, why worry about what other people think? And who is to say they’re thinking bad things of me, anyway? But trusting that thinking and being fearlessly authentic – that’s another story.

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This is probably going to be my theme scripture for the year:

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” – Hebrews 10:19-23, NIV

Jesus opened the way for us to be right with God, to have nothing standing in our way of being close to him. So, we have nothing to fear – not people, not death, not anything. God is with us.

“So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?'” – Hebrews 13:6, NIV

“When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.” – Nehemiah 6:16, NIV

“But closed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” – Jeremiah 17:7-8, NIV

“The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.” – Isaiah 32:17, NIV

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Practical Goals:

1. Quiet the voices in my head that say, “You can’t” and “You’re not”.

Oh blogging. I miss you. As a friend noted recently, it’s hard adding a new hat to my stack of roles and responsibilities. Becoming a mom has become the main one, then my job, both out of necessity. I’m still trying to prioritize and keep things where they are supposed to be, but it is definitely tricky.

Anyways. Let’s dive a little more into the word “purposeful”.

When I thought about goals for 2015, the word purposeful instantly came into my head. I feel like I can do a lot of things haphazardly, hoping they turn out okay. I can’t stand repetition; I like things to be open-ended.

But that’s just not working for me, especially with all my “hats”. Luckily a little boy I know has thrown me into a schedule that is not up for debate. Because of that, I need to portion my time right to be able to take care of the house and work daily; time with ministry and friends, plus designated family time weekly.

It has been a rough start, mostly because Theo’s schedule has been up, down, and all over the place, not to mention my inconsistent work schedule with meetings, etc. But we’re working it out. If I want to be able to actively participate in these roles, I have to plan ahead.

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God originated the idea of being purposeful because he himself is purposeful.

“But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” – Psalm 33:1, NIV

“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” – Isaiah 55:10-11, NIV

The Bible speaks on “making every effort,” and not just making an attempt. With anything in my life I’ve ever felt like I made every effort for, it took time, perseverance, planning, and self-control.

“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.” – Luke 13:24, NIV

“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness, no one will see the Lord.” – Hebrews 12:14, NIV

“For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 2 Peter 1:5-8, NIV

The Bible encourages us to train in righteousness.

“Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather train yourselves to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” – 1 Timothy 4:7-8, NIV

There are so many other scriptures that reference self-control and training: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Proverbs 25:28, Galatians 5:22, Titus 2:11-12.